Italian cars show and go at UK’s Brooklands circuits

The new Desert Concorso isn’t the only place Italian cars will be the featured attraction in the coming weeks

1951 Syracuse GP Ferrari 212

The new Desert Concorso isn’t the only place Italian cars will be the featured attraction in the coming weeks. While the Concorso Italiano in the Desert is brand new, the annual Italian Car Day at the Brooklands museum and racing circuits in England stages its 28th annual show-and-go event May 3.

The British event not only shows Italian cars — from historic to current exotics — but let’s them exercise around the Brooklands race track and up the hill climb roadway.

The Roaring Dragon | Birger Lallo photo

“The great thing about the Italian Car Day is that you never know exactly what you will see, but it is always spectacular – and there are inevitably some intriguing surprises,” reports the news release for the event.

“Rarely do you find such obscure and exotic Italian machinery, even at the most exclusive (and expensive) static events. Yet at Brooklands, the most fantastic cars are not only running, but running at speed – up the test hill and, often, on the adjacent Mercedes-Benz World test track.”

Among the cars already entered are “il drago ruggente” (the roaring dragon), built on a 1924 Delage chassis but powered by a 27-liter Isotta Fraschini V12 engine from a Caproni, an Italian heavy bomber airplane.

Also participating will be the Ferrari 212 driven to a runner-up finish by Dorino Serafini in the 1951 Syracuse Grand Prix in Sicily. The car has a 2.5-liter V12 engine and De Dion rear end.

Also expected are everything from car-club Fiats to exotic Ferrari and Lamborghini supercars, as well as cars from all other historic and current Italian automakers.

In addition to the events on the hill and test track, the parking lots at the Brooklands museum become a showcase of Italian autos; parking is assigned by vehicle marque, making spectators’ cars part of the show.